By: Lyndsi Arnold - October 6th, 2025; Business Support Specialist of Animistic
We’re thrilled to welcome Lyndsi Arnold as Animistic’s new Business Support Manager. Her path into agriculture is anything but typical—she began with no background in farming, served in the military, discovered her passion while working on a dairy farm, and has since become a strong advocate for learning and mentorship in agriculture.
Her story reminds us that curiosity, resilience, and supportive mentors can open doors into industries we may never have imagined ourselves in. At Animistic, Lyndsi brings that same passion for learning and supporting others to our team and to the customers we serve.
I grew up in a small town in Georgia. We had some farmland around us, yet agriculture was something I had never truly experienced. Our family had your typical pets, and I had ridden a horse a time or two, but that was the extent of my connection to animals or farming. Despite living amid fields and barns, the world of agriculture remained distant—something I saw but didn’t truly understand.
When I left home to join the military, my life shifted dramatically. Serving my country was an incredible experience that taught me discipline, resilience, and teamwork. But when my four years of service ended, I found myself standing at a crossroads. Like many veterans, I wondered: Now what? I didn’t have much “real-world” work experience outside the military, and I was unsure where my path would lead.
For a few years, I stayed in healthcare. Although I enjoyed it, there was still a void. Eventually, I found a job on a dairy farm. Talk about a shock! I had always been drawn to the idea of farm life, but I had no idea what I was in for. My first eight-hour shift left me sore in muscles I didn’t even know existed. Yet despite the physical exhaustion, there was something deeply calming and satisfying about the work.
Being around animals every day was a gift. I found myself learning constantly—about cows, their health, how milk production works, the machinery involved, and the environment required to keep them thriving. There was a rhythm to it all, and I was drawn in. Over the next four years, I immersed myself in this new world, slowly building knowledge and confidence.
When I eventually left the farm for a job in a manufacturing plant, I quickly realized how much I missed that environment. It wasn’t just the animals; it was the feeling of purpose and connection to something living and tangible. Three weeks into the new job, my boss approached me and asked if I wanted to work with animals again. I thought that would be great—but how does this job offer that?
It turned out the company had developed a product for use in hog barns, specifically in the pits. The running joke became, “I’d rather stink and be with the animals than work in the plant.” Jokes aside, it was true. I was grateful to be back in an environment I enjoyed.
But this was different. This wasn’t milking cows anymore—this was a completely new animal I knew little about. And on top of that, I had to learn about manure—something I had never dealt with in such a direct way. I was essentially walking blindly into a new sector and needed to get up to speed quickly. So I asked myself: What resources can I use? Who can I ask questions to? How do I learn all of this when I don’t even have the basics to build from?
Thankfully, our company had partnered with another local business whose team was incredibly supportive. I quickly became close to a group of people who were willing to teach and guide me. I had the chance to travel to trade shows—a whole new world for me—where I could work alongside a mentor and meet people from all corners of the industry.
I learned something important during that time: there really are no “dumb” questions when you truly want to learn. From sitting in corporate meetings to visiting barns and talking with producers, I still found much of it overwhelming, but I kept pushing forward.
As I tried to become successful in my role, I often felt like I was years behind in knowledge. But along the way, I met a few key people who truly helped me get to where I am today.
One turning point came when, while working with my previous company, we were introduced to Casey and her team at Animistic. Our companies had started collaborating on a poultry product. Excuse me—another animal I knew nothing about! Just as I was beginning to feel confident in my ability to talk about pigs and their manure, now I had to learn about poultry.
The Animistic team was a lifeline. They were patient, helpful, and generous in teaching me what I needed to look for, what questions to ask, and what to do when it came to poultry litter. We were making progress, but even so, I often felt confused—especially about animal nutrition. Everything seemed to circle back to that topic.
The truth was, I wasn’t an animal nutritionist. I didn’t even have the basics. And as much as I loved my job, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was falling behind. My thought process became: I believe I have to go back to school for animal science and nutrition. Where else can I learn this?
What saved me again were mentors who didn’t look down on me but instead encouraged me to keep going. I took Animistic’s Swine Lingo course, which turned out to be both fun and incredibly useful. It covered the fundamentals I needed to “talk the talk” and understand the meaning behind what I was saying. Now I’m enrolled in Poultry Lingo. It’s equally insightful and teaches me things I wouldn’t have even known to ask about.
Fast forward to today: my job has changed again. I am now the Business Support Manager for Animistic. I may not be directly involved with animals on a daily basis anymore, but I still get to support our team and customers behind the scenes. In many ways, my journey has come full circle.
So it leaves me wondering: the agriculture industry as a whole needs people—people who love what they do, people who are eager to learn and adapt to be successful. So how do we teach young kids who have never been exposed, like I was growing up, to discover something so interesting? It shouldn’t be left solely to generational hand-me-downs. Engagement, encouragement, and positive role models with patience are essential.
I am deeply thankful for my mentors and for the courses I’ve been able to take, but this kind of support needs to be more widespread. The lack of resources available for people without a college degree is not acceptable. The world needs more agricultural attention to sustainably keep going.
